Looking back, we see that Oyasama had given permission to establish Church Headquarters during the dialogue that took place on January 13 of the previous year at Oyasama's bedside when the first Shinbashira pledged to implement the Service. Although that dialogue was concerned specifically with Church Headquarters, we must also remember that all our local churches, which receive the truth of headquarters, only have their meaning because they perform the service.

Shortly after Church Headquarters was established in Tokyo, the Divine Directions began urging its relocation to Jiba repeatedly. The church leaders were initially concerned that a hasty attempt at relocation might lead to the cancellation of the official recognition of Tenrikyo, but eventually permission was granted by the authorities on July 23, 1888, to relocate Tenrikyo's headquarters to Jiba.

The followers had requested Oyasama's permission to establish the headquarters in order to make it possible to perform the Service without worry. The core of the Service is, of course, Jiba-Kanrodai. It was, therefore, not at all desirable for the headquarters to remain in Tokyo for an extended period of time. We can see that the people were still unable to be thorough in becoming single-hearted with God, no doubt because of their worries about the interference by the authorities. At the same time, we can appreciate how fortunate it was that the everliving Oyasama was providing Her guidance through the Divine Directions. In addition, I think that, here again, Oyasama was teaching the importance of returning to the way one should be after taking a temporary expedient either for want of a better alternative or because of human reasoning.

Following the relocation of Church Headquarters to Jiba, fellowships in various districts and communities began to request permission to organize themselves as branch churches one after another. The year 1888 saw the establishment of the first two branch churches. During the following year, six branch churches and four subordinate churches were established and, by the mid-1890s, there were more than one thousand churches and over three million followers.

Our churches, as can be seen from their early history, started off as fellowships, which were formed after people were blessed with wondrous salvation and started conveying their joy and the wonderfulness of faith to others around them, with the result that the effort to help save others spread in wider and wider circles. The Mikagura-uta says:

Since firmly we are determined to believe,
Let us form a brotherhood.

Mikagura-uta V:10

I believe that God recommends the forming of fellowships or "brotherhoods" in the hope that people sharing the same faith will not only assemble but also help and encourage one another as they work together to provide facilities to spread this path throughout the world. This is because this Teaching was founded in order to save all humankind and bring to realization the world of the Joyous Life, which is the purpose of the creation of humankind. Our fellowships, churches, and mission stations are indispensable local centers to fulfill that purpose. I also believe that taking part in the activities of these centers can help people go beyond the kind of faith that is simply concerned with praying for divine favors and grow spiritually to the kind of faith that accords with God's intention.

The primary mission of Tenrikyo churches, which should serve as training centers for salvation, is to perform the service. Another aspect of their work is to spread the teachings, which is to say, sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings and carry out salvation work. It is to help fulfill that role that the truth of the Sazuke has been made available. The truth of the Sazuke, which is intended to work as a means of salvation from illness, was first given to four people in December 1874, when Oyasama bestowed the Grants of Breath, Boiled Rice, Hand Dance, and Kanrodai-Teodori. However, the truth of the Sazuke began to be given more widely after Oyasama's withdrawal from physical life, or more precisely, after a Divine Direction said the following in the wake of Her withdrawal:

Sah, there was a thing I had intended to give to My children but I was not able. I shall bestow this truth on you step by step hereafter.

Osashizu, February 18, 1887

In 1888, the Besseki lectures began to be delivered and, in the following year, a new system was instituted whereby nine Besseki lectures were to be attended over nine months. As a result, anyone who applied was now able to attend the Besseki lectures and receive the truth of the Sazuke. It seems to me, though, that many of the people who attended the Besseki lectures back then already had fervent faith and were devoting considerable efforts to the cause of the path.

Later, the Divine Directions given while the truth of the Sazuke was being bestowed were compiled in the form of what we now call "The Kakisage," which came to be explained in the Post-Bestowal Lectures. In addition, the Book of the Besseki was compiled in 1898, thus completing the present Besseki system.

The Besseki lecture starts off by saying:

Presumably you are here because you have heard the teachings of the path in your country and, convinced that they must be true, you now wish to settle the truth of the path more deeply in your mind.

This suggests that even now it is presupposed that those who come to the Besseki lectures have some understanding of the teachings of this path and chose of their own accord to attend the lectures. Essentially, the lectures are not intended for total beginners who have not embraced the faith. I hope, therefore, that both those who attend the Besseki lectures and those who recommend others to attend them will bear in mind that the aim of these lectures is to prepare people for the bestowal of the truth of the Sazuke by helping them repeatedly sweep the mind clean and settle the truth of the teachings firmly in their mind.

Let us turn to the Kakisage, which as I said a while ago is a transcript of God's words that is given to those receiving the truth of the Sazuke. The Post-Bestowal Lectures, which carefully explain the Kakisage, instruct the new Yoboku to repeatedly read this text so that they can make it their own to use as the standard for their mind.

The Kakisage starts with some preliminary words on how this text contains the truth to be upheld for a lifetime by those who have completed the Besseki lectures. The text goes on to set forth the truth of "a thing lent, a thing borrowed," the most fundamental premise that teaches that the body is something borrowed from God, the mind alone being one's own. The Kakisage says that God accepts each way we use our mind in daily life and provides for us as befits it. The text then tells us that whether or not we can tap into God's free and unlimited workings depends entirely on the truth of the heart and that the key to receiving such workings is to live "daily and always" with "sincerity alone." The Kakisage emphasizes the importance of maintaining a totally sincere mind in the course of daily life, saying, among other things, that sincerity alone is in perfect accord with the truth of heaven and will bring complete harmony to our families. The mind of sincerity, in short, may be described as a mind that is in perfect accord with the intention of God.

The Kakisage goes on to say: "[T]he mind of saving others is the real truth of sincerity alone and, by this truth of saving others, you are saved." Thus the text stresses that, above all else, the mind of saving others is the use of mind that accords most perfectly with God's intention and that we are saved by the truth of saving others. This instruction must be borne in mind by all of us who have received the truth of the Sazuke, which is a gift of God that helps us work for the salvation of others.

The Post-Bestowal Lectures also explain the procedures for administering the Sazuke as well as the important points we have to bear in mind when carrying out our work of helping others be saved. Since these lectures can only be attended once and can never be listened to again, there may be some concern that the listeners may not be able to fully absorb all the instructions presented. However, a summary of the main points of the lectures is included in the booklet given to everyone in attendance, namely the Handbook for the Post-Bestowal Lectures, which a few years ago replaced the Yoboku Handbook, which also contained the same summary. I hope that you will refer to the summary from time to time to ensure that you can administer the Sazuke in the exact way that was taught, rather than in your own way.

We read in the Divine Directions:

I have spoken of the Sazuke, the Sazuke. The Sazuke, no one can know how great its value or how precious it is. . . . Even with an expensive instrument, if there is no truth in your mind, it is of no use. Understand the Sazuke, the Sazuke, well. You attend the lecture of each day. After you have completed the lectures, I bestow the Sazuke on you. I bestow it on the mind at the time, the mind to receive it, the truth of the mind determined to carry on into the future.

Osashizu, July 7, 1890

Although there is no inherent difference in importance between the Sazuke of one person and that of another, differences may arise depending on the frame of mind in which we attend the Besseki lectures, the state of mind in which we receive the truth of the Sazuke, and the way in which we perform our tasks, as well as the attitude we maintain, after receiving the truth of the Sazuke.

It would be a shame if, despite going to the trouble of making pilgrimages to Jiba, we approached the Besseki lectures lightly and took the truth of the Sazuke for granted, imagining it to be a mere automatic addition to the ninth lecture. The truth of the Sazuke is a gift of heaven that is provided for the purpose of single-hearted salvation--a precious gift that is given in order to fulfill the Parent's sole desire to save the children of God, that is, all people throughout the world. It is, therefore, extremely important to attend the Besseki lectures with a full awareness that the purpose of listening to these lectures is to allow the mind to mature to the point where we can receive the precious treasure, which is so precious that Oyasama even says, "[N]o one can know how great its value or how precious it is."

We must purify our mind during the course of the Besseki lectures, so that we can pledge ourselves to single-hearted salvation with a completely pure and clear mind as we apply for the bestowal of the truth of the Sazuke of our own accord. It will then be bestowed upon us.

Particularly because people are currently allowed to attend the Besseki lectures regardless of whether their faith is deep or shallow, it is indispensable to provide them with appropriate care and guidance even after they receive the truth of the Sazuke. Rather than feeling a sense of relief after they finally receive the truth of the Sazuke, I hope people will see themselves as making a start on the new journey of achieving further growth and building virtue, a journey to lay the basis that enables them to work as Yoboku, useful timber, for the construction of the Joyous Life World--as the kind of Yoboku who can experience and savor the joy of saving others.

We are now two-thirds of the way through holding the Seminar for Successors, which started in late August last year. I am happy to note that many of those who attended this seminar have commented that they are glad to have attended. Although this is a short seminar lasting only two nights and three days, it provides an opportunity for people between the ages of twenty and forty--that is, those who are in their prime--to get together at the Home of the Parent for lectures and discussions. During the course of thus seeking faith together and talking things over together, more than a few participants seem to have been able to take a fresh look at their way of following the path and realize something that they had not noticed before.

I hope that the participants in this seminar will continue to maintain positive feelings after going back to their own parts of the world so that they will be able to make further spiritual growth and become ever more spirited. In order for this to happen, their own effort to this end is obviously very important, but the sincere and continued efforts of the churches to which they belong to provide guidance and care for them are also indispensable. It is also important to make sure that the followers living in the same region work together in this regard while giving one another help and encouragement. What is vital, in short, is to continue working with the seminar participants so that they will not only come away feeling positive about having participated but will go on to build on their seminar experience to play their role as Yoboku from now on.

This point, in fact, is not only applicable to the Seminar for Successors but to all other seminars and courses offered at the Home of the Parent, for they can all be seen as designed to help Yoboku further enrich and invigorate the daily lives they lead as Yoboku. From this perspective, I hope that our churches, which should indeed play a key role in nurturing and guiding Yoboku, will proactively take advantage of all such events and courses offered here in Jiba.

Given the way things are going in the world today, I have a feeling that those of you who belong to our churches will encounter various difficulties in making progress in your own spiritual growth as well as trying to provide care and guidance for others. However, I very much hope that, rather than being swayed by the current of the times, all of you will feel a sense of pride and mission in working on the tasks you are entrusted to perform as Yoboku and as the Tenrikyo church community.

I would like to conclude by asking all of you to continue striving this year for the work of single-hearted salvation in good spirits. Thank you very much for listening.

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